National leadership training launched at UWI

The Ministry of Youth Development and National Service launched the National Leadership Training Programme at the UWI School of Education on Tuesday. It is designed to build the leadership capacity of 100 youths between 16 and 35 through six modules.

The programme will be implemented in collaboration with UWI's Faculty of Social Sciences at the St Augustine Campus. Youths targeted for participation belong to youth-led and youth-serving organisations throughout TT.

The programme aims to enable the development and strengthening of the leadership capacities of both the membership and the executives of these organisations. Present at Tuesday's launch was deputy vice president of the UWI Guild of Students Inool Nabbie, who is also the education and research officer of the Trinidad Youth Council, an umbrella body for all youth organisations in Trinidad.

He said the ministry's initiative is geared toward developing conflict and crisis management as well as leadership skills. He stressed the importance of these skills for all youth organisations.

"We are no longer the leaders of tomorrow, we are leaders of today. This programme will make participants more aware of conflict management and develop the resources to resolve conflict."

Nabbie said what stood out the most was the ministry's awareness of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the integral role of youths in achieving them.

Modules the initiative will address:

1. Contextualising youth development work – a policy perspective

2. Introduction to leadership

3. Conflict management and resolution

4. Establishing effective partnerships and group management

5. Civic engagement and responsibility

6. Communicating effectively in groups.